Port Orchard FC men's soccer team facing Year 2 challenges

Having a recent two-hour training session at Kitsap Bank Stadium altered due to an active sprinkler system stands out as a reminder that for Port Orchard FC, its second season of men's soccer in the Cascadia Premier League was always going to present a slippery set of challenges.

That was reality for the team after it captured the Cascadia Premier League's Division 2 title in 2023 and, in the process, earned promotion. Entering the Division 1 landscape meant the opportunity to face better opposing teams, better opposing coaches and likely compete in tighter games.

With the final stages of the 2024 season upcoming, Port Orchard FC has experienced both highs and lows. The team is currently in third place in the CPL's Rainier Division with a 3-4 record, having dropped a 5-3 road game at Eastside FC on Thursday. There's work to be done to remain playoff eligible.

If Year 2 has proven anything to Port Orchard FC head coach Patrick Leonard, it's that his club has been forced to adjust and evolve.

"It's a step up in opposition for sure. I think we've improved too," Leonard said. "Our squad this year is definitely stronger than our squad last year."

Leonard found immediate success leading Port Orchard FC through its opening campaign a year ago. The club pieced together its roster with plenty of homegrown talent and went undefeated in 12 matches, capturing the CPL Division 2 crown with a 4-2 victory over Nido Aguila 2 at the Washington Premier Field Complex in Puyallup. The victory pushed Port Orchard FC into the league's top division.

Leonard said his squad often benefitted from a talent gap in 2023, when Port Orchard FC averaged nearly five goals a game and trailed in a contest only twice the entire season. Facing a whole new set of opponents this summer, the team has seen that talent gap shrink.

"This year, the players have realized it's got to be more about the team," Leonard said, "and less about individuals just being so much better than the guys on the other team."

Port Orchard FC has the top-scoring offense in the division with 25 goals in seven matches, but it's also conceded 22 goals, tied for the most in the division. Of those 22 goals allowed, 19 have come in the team's four losses.

"The teams are a lot better this year," said defender Aidan Harvey.

A 5-3 victory over Sporting International on July 7 put Port Orchard FC in control of its own playoff destiny. That was until Thursday's defeat against Eastside FC. With the Tacoma Stars Reserves already having clinched top seed in the Rainier Division, Port Orchard FC enters next week fighting with Sporting International and Eastside FC for the division's second and final playoff berth.

Leonard's team needs to earn a victory during next Wednesday's road match at Washington Premier FC to remain in the playoff hunt. There's a good chance the final playoff seed will come down to goal differential.

"I still like our chances," Leonard said.

The top two teams in the CPL's Rainier and Baker divisions will advance to the league semifinals on July 26. The championship match is scheduled for July 28.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Port Orchard FC men's soccer team facing Year 2 challenges